Staff Reports
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has managed to steal the political spotlight yet again, this time with a twist that has left many scratching their heads. Just last month, he shocked the political world by suspending his own presidential campaign and throwing his support behind none other than Donald Trump. Perhaps a savvy move, or just another example of the family’s knack for showmanship—whatever the case, it has sparked chaos in the swing states that are now scrambling to navigate this latest electoral curveball.
In North Carolina, the stakes are high as Kennedy’s name still graces the ballot thanks to a legal skirmish he’s initiated against the State Board of Elections. His argument, presented with a flair only a Kennedy could muster, holds that the election is looming and ballot deadlines are closing in faster than a runaway train. The board had voted to keep his name on the ballot on the simple practical grounds that 2 million ballots are already printed across most of the counties—talk about an election faux pas if they were to backtrack now.
RFK Jr. sues North Carolina to remove name from ballot before election https://t.co/jngbH6zByG
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 1, 2024
But the North Carolina saga is just the tip of the iceberg. Officials are reportedly holding back from simple fixes, indicating it could cost hundreds of thousands to start over—in other words, they’re not about to toss away a mountain of taxpayer funds just because of a whimsically suspended campaign. Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell explained that creating new ballots is no easy feat. One would think they were trying to launch a rocket, not just reprint some paper.
Michigan is in on the action too, as they face their own situation with Kennedy’s candidacy status. His nomination by the Natural Law Party means he’s still on the ballot there, and removing him isn’t straightforward either. Gee, if only parties thought this through a bit more before slapping a name down. It seems Kennedy’s camp is still trying to negotiate his exit from the ballot, but given the timing and rules, this is less of a “Hail Mary” and more of a “how did we get here?”.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission, not wanting to appear too flexible with the rules, firmly rejected Kennedy’s request to be removed from their ballot as per state law. This law makes it clear that once you’re nominated, you’re pretty much chained to the ballot like a kid’s toy to a fast-moving rollercoaster. With Trump’s past victories in these key states, Kennedy’s continued presence could very well complicate the math for Democrats. Nobody’s crying “vote-splitting” louder than they are right now, and perhaps they ought to take notes from this blunder.
All told, the plot certainly thickens. Kennedy’s continued presence on ballots in key swing states could not only confuse voters but could sway election results in favor of Trump—a scenario that’s got Democrats clutching their pearls (or their lattes) tighter than ever. It turns out that in politics, just when you think you’ve seen it all, someone like Kennedy manages to throw a curveball that has heads spinning. Now, who will be the last one standing when the ballots are finally counted? The suspense is killing—if only they could deliver a little suspense-free practicality to the electoral process.
